Spatial Databases Geo875

Lectures, exercises and practical sessions in Fall Semester 2024

Registration and booking

The course is fully booked for Fall Semester 2024.

Content and objectives

In this course we extend the knowledge of data management in relational databases acquired in Geo874 (Introduction to Databases) with a focus on spatial data management, usage and analysis. We will introduce spatial indexes, topological data models and spatial queries. Open source software (PostGIS) will be used as an example.

You will learn about the handling of both geometrical and attribute variables in an efficient manner. We will then extend this knowledge to handling of georeferenced raster data, considerations for the storage of topological data, intricacies of spatial indexing and the optimization of topological analysis through spatial indexes. The course will cover the extensions to the SQL query language that relate to spatial data handling.

In parallel to the theoretical stream, practical skills will be acquired by dealing with real-world data step-by-step from the creation of relational data models, through data import to querying and spatial data analysis. The practical part will consist of exercises relating to selected parts of lectures and an accompanying group project.

The criteria listed in this document apply for the final evaluation of the entire module and the award of ECTS-points.


Communication rules: Email with the following information = easier processing

  1. Email: Please, use our addresses listed on this site. If it is related to projects, please put your group member in CC.
  2. Subject: "geo875 groupXY + your text" (such as "ER diagram") for project-related, or "geo875 usrXY + your text" for others
  3. Attachments (if possible as pdf-files): Name the file geo875_groupXY_mytext.pdf or geo875_usrXY_mytext.pdf (change mytext to some logical text, e.g., ERDiagram, Project, or such).
  4. Attachments content: Enrich your documents with title, your names, group ID/user ID and date. Use legends, for example, and add comments to your sql code (lines starting with "--").

Time and place

Every Friday
08:00-09:45 - Lecture
10:15-12:00 - Practical / Exercise / Project

Timetable and deadlines